Happy Birthday Grant!

Grant Turns 6...Star Wars Birthday Bash

Grant turned the big 6 today with the help of 5 of his 'Star War Jedi-Master' friends. We played the Star Wars version of pin the tale on the donkey, made galactic goup, had space blaster and light-saber wars on the trampoline, busted open Darth Vadars head to reveal loads of candy, and ate cupcakes...what more could a kid want? So now its off to Red Robin to get the free kids meal comin to us. Birthdays are exhausting. It's no wonder when its time for a parents birthday, the lackluster celebration is because we are simply recouping from the last birthday party of the kids. We're spent!

We're Back! After a year of hiatus - Clark's are bloggin again...

What a year. And oh how we have gone through withdrawals without blogging. It seems there are so many online social sites that we just were overwhelmed and sidetracked...and didn't do any of them. I wonder if there will come a day that instead of Facebook, Twitter, Blogging, etc...the human race will start to go backwards and keep all details about their lives between them and paper. Until then, here is our update from Grant's 6th birthday party. Hopefully, we will post something else between now and when he turns 7. No promises.

Spring Break at the Oregon Coast

Here are some photos of our little jaunt to the coast with Emily's family. We stayed at Seaside (compliments of Aunt Megan!) and enjoyed excellent kite flying weather. We also had a few days at Nana and Papa's house. 

Grant flying his dragon kite on the beach in Seaside, Oregon.

Havin a nap...

James will bounce in this thing for hours...until he falls asleep. Then he bounces in his sleep. 

Hand over those coupons and no one gets hurt!

Yes my friends, after months of lurking on blogs with titles like "The Obsessive Shopper," "Thrifty Mama," and "The Krazy Coupon Lady," I too have boldly joined the ranks of the extreme coupon mamas.  The economy/housing market being in the state that it is, we have nary an extra penny to rub together around here, and I am committed to making every cent count to feed my little family.  Plus, it's like, totally addicting y'all!

I mean, I've always been a gal who loves to feel she's gotten a great deal ("You like them?  They were 70% off!), but this extreme couponing thing is a whole 'nother level of deal-getting. Extreme couponing is like visiting another country where everyone gets things for free or almost free and the locals throw around mysterious and exotic-sounding terms like "catalinas" and "BOGOF".  It's like a game--outsmarting the overpriced local grocery stores (yea!), building up my food storage twice as fast (double yea!), and feeling the tremendous satisfaction of a well-fed family.  

Let me warn you though, once you go this route, you will be changed forever.  There are consequences to extreme couponing.  Paying full price for that can of corn Niblets?  No longer an option.  Guilt will inevitably follow if you do.  Be patient, my friends.  Soon those Niblets will be on sale, and along with your coupons, you can enjoy their golden deliciousness for pennys instead of dollars.  You will start to see other shoppers will carts full of food and no coupons and shake your head at the poor fools.  "Should I just go over there and tell him that if he buys one more box of those crackers he will get another free and get a coupon for $10 back on his next purchase?" you will think.  And as you assert your coupon rights with an inexperienced checker you may feel your husband slowly inching away from you like he doesn't know you--but no matter!  The triumph you will feel at getting $100 worth of groceries for $20 will more than make up for that.  It feels almost criminal to get such great deals, but yes--it's totally legal!

So who's with me?  Who with stand with me and boldly shop like no one has shopped before? And if you're not quite ready to take the plunge, can I have your coupons?

Effective this month I am now a Boise State Bronco. I have enrolled in the MBA program at BSU. With any luck, I should graduate in Spring 2011. Because the economy is the way it is, I figure this is the best shelter given the circumstances. Let's hope things improve dramatically by the time I graduate. 

Our Annual Halloween Party 

The competition for the best carving was intense...The Christensen family went home with the coveted 'Golden Sparkle Pumpkin' trophy.

And of course, the food was plentiful and heavenly. 

Photos from the recent past...

Playing NickJr.com in dad's office. 

Catching up with Grandma Bliss...and no she doesn't have purple hair. Bad lighting I suppose.

The chief showing off his creation from pre-school.

Driving home from Utah and Grant needed mom's sunglasses to see the movie. So hip!

The last couple months...

Preschool Activity at the Corn Maze

Midnight snack in the nude (She get's this nasty habit from her mother.)

First snow! They loved it...almost as much as I loved putting all this snow gear on them and having to take it off their crying selves 3.5 minutes after going outside.

If you thought she had too many bows, you're wrong. She doesn't have enough hair!

Brinley (Tanner) and Ella escaped into the garage for a drive.

House for sale! 

Ella's Red Lace Room

Grant's 'Circus' Room

Kids playroom 

Holiday House Boutique Girls

The Housing Market has hit the BOTTOM!

Everyone keeps asking me if we've hit bottom. In Boise, we are seeing homes with multiple cash offers. There are buyers out there. Who are they? Smart! And they don't want everyone to know it. I found this website that my company endorses that give unbiased information on the housing market in the Boise area. I think everyone should use this as a resource for housing and other indicators of the economy in the area.

http://www.newconstructionconsulting.com/

Our Little Monkey...James

He may have a big head, but it sure is a cute one. Here he is in his 'bumbo' chair watching all the action in the kitchen. This activity keeps him tame for hours. James will be 6 months old in a week.

Look what I just made in 5 minutes!

This is not a picture of the one I made. . .my camera battery seems to be dead. . .but aren't these pretty? And cheap! And easy! This is a great project for all you recessionistas out there, and fun to make with your kids. Get the instructions here, and enjoy!

Rufflicious

Hey y'all--my mom has four new listings of her Ella Bella dress currently up on ebay, all one-of-a-kind, all in different sizes. These outfits include 8 different pieces, so your little one can wear the design in multiple ways. They also are virtually "season-less," meaning that depending on which pieces you pair them with, you can wear the design year round. Total bargain in my (unbiased) opinion. ;) Check out this eye-candy:

Brown/White with Hot Pink Accents Size 5T

(the picture of Ella is included to show one of the many ways the design can be worn, but the auction is for the dress set on the left)

http://cgi.ebay.com/Boutique-Handmade-5T-OOAK-Girls-Dress-Set_W0QQitemZ190274276010QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item190274276010&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

Rose/Green/Brown Size 4T

http://cgi.ebay.com/Boutique-Handmade-4T-OOAK-Girls-Dress-Set_W0QQitemZ190274029518QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item190274029518&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

Green/Turquoise/Brown Size 4T

http://cgi.ebay.com/Boutique-Handmade-4T-OOAK-Girls-Dress-Set_W0QQitemZ190274283267QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item190274283267&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

Pink/Brown Size 3T

http://cgi.ebay.com/Boutique-Handmade-3T-OOAK-Girls-Dress-Set_W0QQitemZ190274006896QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item190274006896&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1308

Way to go Mom!

Hey friends and fam,

My mom has started listing her dress designs on ebay, with this one being the first--check out the link below to see her amazing handiwork:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Boutique-Handmade-5T-OOAK-Girls-Dress-Pant-Outfit_W0QQitemZ190270457457QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item190270457457&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A16%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

This is the reason I haven't been posting lately. . .

Come join us for some great shopping--handcrafted items from local artisans, gourmet treats, and great gift ideas! There will also be some great door prizes, including Jim Brickman Concert tickets and Pottery Barn decor items. Holiday House Boutique only takes place once a year and you don't want to miss it--so grab your girlfriends and spend your weekend with us!

Click on above image to see a larger version. . .

My Day (so far)

Dear mom,

The baby is crying.
The kids are fighting.
The laundry is growing.
The dishes are molding.

It is barely 11am--and. . .

There. Is. Poo. In. A. Drawer.

You never said there'd be days like this. . .

Love,
Emily

What happened to Grant?

Did the neighbor's cat finally get his revenge for being squished into our fridge? No, Grant just went to work with his Daddy, and in what was clearly an unsupervised moment, decided to stamp himself all over with red ink--and I do mean all over! He must have had over a hundred stamps on his skin! And that ink doesn't come off all that easy, as he now knows after being scrubbed within an inch of his life. So maybe he won't do that again. But then again, he's 4. . .

Dan's Community...

This community is in West Boise and is called Chatham Towne. They are 2 & 3 bedroom townhomes equipped with built-in entertainment centers with LCD TV's, banquettes (built-in dining benches and table), 2nd floor balconies overlooking the river and park, and all of this comes with a price tag of under $180K!

We have the GRAND OPENING event November 14 & 15. We have partnered with Pottery Barn to make each home just like you're looking through one of their catalogs. We will have 2 models that can be purchased with all the furniture! SWEET! During the Grand Opening, we will have a HUGE boutique going on in the other 3 homes along with Dutch Brothers Coffee onsite. Come take a look at the black doors!

Dan's Homes

Here are a few of the homes and communities I've been working on.

These tuscan looking homes are in a SW Boise community called Sonata. I worked with Katie Christensen on the designs and they 'flew off the shelves'. We had them sold within the first couple weeks of their completion. They are a great patio home facing a huge private park with water fountain and playground. Location Location Location!

This home is our model for the Fall Collection of Homes that is going on right now. They even used our home for the front cover of the magazine that they publish for the show. Good job Katie!